Brian McDermott: Time for Leeds United to step on the gas

Brian McDermott is calling on Leeds to stir back into life in front of the TV cameras at Hillsborough on Saturday.

The eighth-placed Whites head into the lunchtime derby against Sheffield Wednesday in urgent need of a morale-boosting victory.

Without a win since December 14, they are also licking their wounds from last week’s embarrassing FA Cup exit to League Two Rochdale.

McDermott said: “I think that the last few games have been a wake-up call. If you look back at the Watford game we probably should have won it, we played some super football.

“Barnsley we could have won 1-0, and Blackpool we should have won 1-0.

“Then there was the Nottingham Forest and Blackburn games. When you look at the two teams we played, they were wake-up calls to me.

“We are certainly in a rut now and we need to get out of it. I think that the team seem to have run out of gas.

“We need to galvanise this team and I think that is probably going to come from outside the football club.”

McDermott looks set to have two new wingers in place for the weekend.

Hull’s Cameron Stewart has signed a three-year deal, having initially joined the club on loan.

Stewart has penned an initial temporary deal due to FIFA regulations preventing a player from featuring for more than two clubs in a season, other than on an emergency loan basis.

McDermott said: “Cameron fits the bill as the type of player we are looking to recruit here. He has pace, he gives us something different and he is hungry to do well.”

McDermott added: “We were aware of Cameron’s situation and rules are rules.
“By joining us in this manner, it means we have a player who we know will be here for the next three and a half years and we look forward to working with him for the long-term.”

Leeds chairman Salah Nooruddin said: “We’re delighted we’ve been able to secure the signature of Cameron.

“He is a young player who was attracting a lot of interest from clubs in the Championship, including a couple who are above us in the table at the moment, and he is a player Brian was keen to sign.”

Leeds are also poised to sign Jimmy Kebe from Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the season.

McDermott is a big admirer of the Mali international after signing him for Reading in 2008. Kebe moved to Palace in September following the manager’s dismissal but has not been involved under Tony Pulis.

The transfer activity is the first indication of cash made available by the Sport Capital group, who are hoping to buy a 75 per cent stake in the club.